Age of Consent in Antigua And Barbuda

What is the Antigua And Barbuda Age of Consent?

The Age of Consent in Antigua And Barbuda is 16 years old. The age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 15 or younger in Antigua And Barbuda are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape or the equivalent local law.

Antigua And Barbuda statutory rape law is violated when an individual has consensual sexual intercourse with an individual under 16 who is not their spouse. The offender is not guilty if they truly believed the victim to be over age 16 or if the offender is three or less years older than the victim.

Antigua And Barbuda has a close-in-age exemption. A close in age exemptions, commonly known as "Romeo and Juliet law" in the United States, is a law designed to prevent the prosecution of underage couples who engage in consensual sex when both participants are significantly close in age to each other, and one or both are below the age of consent.

Depending on the situation, the Antigua And Barbuda close-in-age exemption may completely exempt qualifying close-in-age couples from the age of consent law, or merely provide a legal defence that can be used in the event of prosecution.

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If you are a victim of sexual assault or statutory rape, call the 24-hour RAINN help hotline at 800-656-HOPE